KEY POINTS

  • The unidentified man assaulted the 65-year-old without provokation
  • The woman is in stable condition but suffered a fractured pelvis
  • Police are looking for any information to help identify the man

A 65-year-old Asian woman on her way to church was attacked on Monday in broad daylight in midtown Manhattan by an unidentified man in what was described as a race-related hate crime, local authorities said.

Security camera footage of the brutal incident released by the police shows the elderly woman being slammed to the ground with a kick before being kicked three more times repeatedly while trying to get back up. The man then leaves, with the woman reeling on the ground.

Several security guards and building staff members are seen in the footage watching the attack unfold. Police said these onlookers closed the door instead of helping the woman, the New York Daily News reported.

"The cold hearted building security guard not only failed to render aid, he closed the door on the victim," the police's Asian Hate Crimes Task Force said in a now deleted tweet.

Police said the attacker was spouting anti-Asian statements as he stomped on the woman on West 43rd Street near Ninth Avenue at 11:40 a.m.

"F--k you. You don't belong here," the attacker said, according to police.

The woman was taken to NYU Langone Hospital after the incident in stable condition. She suffered a fractured pelvis, authorities said.

New York Rep. Grace Meng pointed out that these kinds of incidents have been happening in the U.S. for a long time.

"Asian Americans for too long in this country have been shamefully scapegoated because of ignorant fear," Meng said. "That is the history of this country."

A building staff member who asked to remain anonymous said the man was the morning guy. "I can't believe he did that. It's crazy," he said.

Several people from nearby buildings said they recognized the suspect as being an apparently homeless man who wanders the neighborhood and stays at a nearby park.

The New York City Police Department's Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating the attack and is asking people to submit any information that can help identify the perpetrator.

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